


Bitten

by ColbyPuppy



Series: Bitten [1]
Category: Octopath Traveler (Video Game)
Genre: Alfyn and Zeph are like brothers, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Animal Attack, Canon-Typical Violence, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-11
Updated: 2020-06-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:09:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,672
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24655870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ColbyPuppy/pseuds/ColbyPuppy
Summary: Six years before in-game events, Alfyn and Zeph are both still learning the ins and outs of medicine and gathering plants. On their first expedition out of town the two have a chance encounter with a monster not typical for their area- and Alfyn finds himself bitten.
Relationships: Alfyn Greengrass & Zeph
Series: Bitten [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1974661
Comments: 4
Kudos: 27





	Bitten

**Author's Note:**

> Werewolf time- awoooo!
> 
> This is a one-shot but it may also serve as setting the scene for possible future fics. We'll see how things go!

It was the height of summer, the air heavy with the lingering humidity of rain- though it was past the hottest time of day the air was still horribly warm. 

So what better time, then, for a young man to get a little practice in with his ice magic. And who better to enjoy the cold than his best friend?

Zeph yelped as Alfyn dropped the ice shard down the back of his shirt. Alfyn cackled, running into the undergrowth as Zeph gave chase. The two of them had been friends as long as they could remember. Their parents would joke that they were practically brothers even before the pestilence tore through their little town.

Zeph had lost his to the sickness, nearly lost Alfyn as well if not for the kindness of a traveling stranger. Alfyn's mother had taken in Zeph and his baby sister with no hesitation. Even so the experience threatened to force Zeph to grow up fast- so of course Alfyn had to step in and remind him to cut loose every now and again.

Zeph caught up quickly enough, tackling Alfyn and attempting to pull him into a headlock. "Alf! Dangit I still have goosebumps!"

Alfyn allowed himself to be pulled down- laughing even as Zeph ruffled his already messy hair. "Just thought you could do with some cooling off!"

"Well, then, let me return the favor-" in the next moment, Zeph pressed his hand, now ice cold, to the back of Alfyn's neck.

Now it was Alfyn's turn to yelp, squirming his way free. "Cold! _Cold!_ "

Zeph released him. Antics aside, the pair was on a mission. He pulled up his satchel, retrieving a worn book from the bag and thumbing through the pages. "Alright, alright, according to the notes my dad left there should be a patch of boneset around here."

Alfyn brushed himself off, leaning over Zeph's shoulder to look at the pages of the book. "Right. What does it look like again?"

"There's a sketch here- see?" Zeph pointed at the page. "The leaves connect around the stem, so it looks like it grows up through them. That's the most distinguishing feature. It's a good antipyretic. We can dry the leaves and flower buds, but it'll be good to mark the location to gather it for fresh use too."

Alfyn nodded, "leaves and buds, got it. Let's get looking then!"

Zeph called after him as he started to leave, "don't stray too far! There are monsters outside of town, remember?"

"It'll be fine!" Alfyn called over his shoulder. "We've got our ice magic, and our hatchets, we can defend ourselves!" he declared with all the bravado of an inexperienced fifteen year old.

Alfyn muttered under his breath as he searched, wandering further into the woods. There were plenty of plants around, but none matched the description or picture in the book yet. He ducked under branches, stumbled over roots, coming to a more open area. He could hear water- he must be near a creek. Tall plants swayed in a gentle, welcome breeze and Alfyn paused. They weren't what he was looking for, but they looked familiar.

"This looks like..." opening and digging through his own satchel, Alfyn pulled out a bundle of dried herbs for comparison. "Addlewort! Aw man Zeph'll be thrilled-" he hurried forward, carefully gathering a few bundles of herbs.

Alfyn hummed to himself, listening to the forest around him. The babel of the creek, the hum of cicadas. He couldn't hear any birds- maybe him and Zeph scared them off. There was the rustle of plants, the snap of a twig, the sound of someone creeping through the forest behind him.

His heart skipped as Zeph's warning about monsters echoed in his mind. Alfyn spun around, expecting to see perhaps a stray froggen or maybe just a deer- but no. He wasn't so lucky.

Before him, sunk low to the ground, was a large wolf. By far the largest canine he had ever seen. Scars- those that looked more from slashing weapons than claws or bites from beasts- cut through the bright red fur of the creature's body. Its teeth were barred in a manner that almost- _almost_ \- looked like the mockery of a smile. (That was impossible, of course, wolves don't _smile._ ) 

The wolf was on him in an instant. Alfyn brought up an arm to block on reflex, the action saving his throat- sharp teeth and crushing force latching on to his arm. He let out a shout then, of surprise and pain, as he fell backwards to the ground. The snarling in his ears, he could swear, sounded almost like laughter as the best locked eyes with him, slowly increasing the pressure of its bite. (There was malice in those eyes, but that was impossible too, wasn't it?)

" _ **Alf!**_ " Zeph's words didn't really register, all he heard was a shout before a blur of motion- Zeph's hatchet swinging directly into the wolf's left eye.

The action caused the beast to release his arm with a high pitched snarl. Mind starting to work again, Alfyn shoved his good hand forward and focused as hard as he could. Ice froze over the wolf's nose. The creature shook its head, backing up and pawing at its face. Zeph shouted, grazing the creature's shoulder with his hatchet, before it turned tail and ran.

Zeph was at Alfyn's side immediately, rummaging through his satchel and pulling out gauze. "Shit- okay- let's stop the bleeding now and clean you up once we're out of the woods. Can you hear me, Alf?"

"Yeah. Y-yeah I, uh..." The adrenaline was still coursing through his body, his limbs shaking. He swallowed the lump in his throat, looking over as Zeph bandaged up his bloody arm. "Shit." The pain felt distant, like that wasn't really his arm. Was this what shock felt like? Was he in shock? 

Once his arm was bandaged, Zeph packed up and stood, offering him a hand up. "Are you good to walk?"

Alfyn took in a deep breath, then let it out. "I think so, yeah." He took Zeph's hand with his good arm, getting up slowly as he steadied himself. "Ma's gonna throw a fit. First day outta town and I come home a bloody mess..."

"We'll clean you up at my place." Zeph said, gently patting his back. "Here, you can lean on me if you have to."

  
The two retraced their steps back home to Clearbrook. Alfyn's injured state was quickly noticed by the townspeople, and Zeph recounted their encounter as he ushered Alfyn towards his home. Wolf attacks were not typical for the peaceful area of Clearbrook. One so large and battle scarred to appear was worrying- they might have to send for a proper hunter to track down the beast.

Alfyn scratched at the bandages on his arm, taking a seat at the table as Zeph rushed to get a pail of clean water.

"Alright." Zeph sat in front of him now, cloth and water on the table, carefully unwinding the bandages. "Let's see the damage- _don't scratch at it!_ " He lightly swatted Alfyn's hand away as he went to scratch at his exposed skin.

"Sorry, sorry, it itches like- damn- like I fell in a patch of poison ivy." Alfyn fidgeted in his seat. 

Zeph hummed, letting the sullied bandage drop to the floor as he reached for the damp cloth. "Do you itch anywhere else?"

Alfyn shook his head. "Nah, just, just my arm." A reaction to the bite? Was that wolf some sort of monster? "Shit there's not some sort of venomous wolf monster is there?"

"Not that I've ever heard of." Zeph wiped away the drying blood, face scrunching up as he worked. "I see some bruising but, can you turn your arm over?"

Alfyn complied, watching as Zeph wiped away blood to reveal...nothing. Apart from the bruising there were no marks- no scabs or scars from where he knew teeth had pierced through. "Wait...what?" he twisted and turned his arm again, inspecting for injury- again finding no signs of open wounds. "Did ya pick up healin' magic when I wasn't lookin'?"

Zeph shook his head. "I wish, no, this is...hm," he bit at his lower lip as he thought. "How are you feeling?"

Alfyn flexed his fingers a few times, rolled his shoulders. "Like I've had enough excitement for one day. Sore, hungry." Sticky and too warm too- the summer heat was murder sometimes. "About what I'd expect after having a wolf try and eat my arm, apart from" he waved his bruised arm.

"Yeah that's. Weird." Zeph started packing up. "Guess we better let your Mom and Nina know we're okay."

The rest of the day progressed normally after that. Alfyn was still shaken, but if anything a bit of fishing was a welcome distraction from the day's events. As the sun began to set, he found himself feeling more and more...off. His skin crawled and itched and he started to think maybe he had fallen into some rash-inducing plant after all. An ache settled into his joints and limbs. He opted to call it a day early, bringing his catch home for dinner.

Thankfully it seemed his apatite was intact, devouring almost half the loaf of bread alongside his roast fish and a double serving of potatoes. Talk around the table inevitably drifted back to Alfyn and Zeph's run in with the wolf earlier. It had become the talk of the town, though perhaps not in the way the two boys expected.

Alfyn choked on a bite of potato, thumping his chest to dislodge the chunk from his windpipe. "A _prank?!_ "

"That's what I heard from Maggs when I picked up the bread- you and Zeph come back all bloody and crying wolf. Some of the older men went searchin' an' found neither hide nor tail of it." Miss Greengrass tsked, shaking her head, "then next they see you- you look right as rain! Folks are torn between thinkin' you roped Zeph into it or that you're pulling the wool over his eyes too."

"Miss Greengrass- there was a wolf! I saw it for myself." Zeph countered. "It was big- and red- and covered in scars!"

Alfyn huffed. "I don't feel right as rain, either." He idly scratched at his face. "I'm battered and bruised and I think I fell in some poison ivy to boot."

"Big like that catfish you said lives in the river? The one that could eat the moon?" Nina asked, crossing her arms. "Lily said that was just a story to scare us!"

"Aw, Nina, not you too." At his sister's disbelief Zeph physically deflated. "I swear this isn't just a story or prank. It would be in poor taste- other villagers or travelers can be in danger with a monster like that around."

"You're right, it would be in awful bad taste to fool folks into thinkin' there's a dangerous monster out there if there ain't." Miss Greengrass stood, gathering the empty dishes from the table. "I don't think you boys are lying about running into somethin' in those woods today, hopefully the beast is found before anyone else is hurt."

"Oh, Ma, let me-" Alfyn grabbed a plate and moved to stand. A shooting pain shot through his entire body as his foot hit the ground. He shouted, plate shattering on the ground as he crumpled over in pain. 

"Alf?!" Zeph shot up, rushing around the table. "What happened-"

Alfyn whined, curling up- his muscles were cramping and his bones and joints ached. Was he poisoned after all? He panted, trying to get enough air but breathing hurt too. "I, I don't- everything- everything _hurts_ -"

The next few moments were filled with sickening snaps and pops- Alfyn's body convulsed as muscle and bone expanded and shifted. Nose and jaw elongating, fingers swelling and shortening while his nails curled into claws. Feeling his tailbone unfusing and extending was one of the stranger sensations- as was the rapid growth of dense fur over his body. These didn't hurt but it felt so alien, so wrong, sending goosebumps down his spine causing hackles to rise in the fur now covering his back. 

There was the sound of more shattering dishes, and Zeph gasped at his side. Alfyn groaned as the pain faded, the sound of his own voice was off. Wrong. 

"...Alf?" Zeph placed a cautious hand on his back.

Zeph couldn't believe his eyes. Where just a moment ago his friend had been doubled over and in distress now laid a large, lanky beige wolf- fur the same straw yellow color as Alfyn's hair. The day's events replayed in his head and the pieces fell into place. The wolf attack, the vanishing bite wound. He had heard stories about things like this, and the thought filled him with dread.

"Oh by the flame," Miss Greengrass' voice shook, heartbroken, "a _werewolf_. My, my baby boy is a werewolf- Zeph, Nina get back-"

The wolf- Alfyn- lifted his head and gazed in Miss Greengrass' direction. His ears folded back. " _ **Awr-**_ " Alfyn tried to speak, to say it was fine. To ask what was wrong it was fine he was still him. He knew the words, what he wanted to say, but his mouth and throat would not make the proper sounds or motions. 

Zeph didn't move away. Instead, he sunk down at his side, hand still on his back. "He doesn't seem aggressive. I think we're safe."

Nina slid out of her chair, tiptoeing around the shards of broken plate to scrutinize Alfyn right in the face. "He's like...a really big puppy!" She gave him a pat on the snout.

Alfyn's nose twitched- she smelled like roast fish, like dirt and flowers and... something sweet. Honey and butter- another sniff and he was able to pinpoint the sweet smell to one of her pockets. She must have saved some sort of little biscuit for later.

The realization made his stomach grumble. Alfyn felt like he hadn't eaten at all.

Nina squeaked as wolf Alfyn about shoved his nose into her dress pocket. 

Zeph quirked his brow. "Do you have something in your pocket, Nina?"

"Lily's mom made honey scones- but it's mine!" She shoved Alfyn's snout away, face scrunched up in an angry pout. Alfyn let out a sad sound somewhere between a growl and purr, eyes going big and ears folding back. "How are you even still hungry! You ate half the bread and all the potatoes!"

There was a beat, Alfyn's sad puppy look unchanging, and little Nina broke. "Fine, we can share." She dug the cloth-wrapped pastry from her pocket, breaking it in half and holding the (slightly smaller) piece out to Alfyn. He happily licked the treat up from her hand, tail thumping of its own accord behind him.

Zeph chuckled. "He is just a big pup- Alf's still in there!" His smile quickly fell. "...The Knights Ardante will have to be called about the werewolf that attacked us. But, but if they find out Alfyn is one too-" He sniffled, wiping away tears with his other hand. 

Miss Greengrass crept over. She studied the beast that had been her child carefully, then let out a sigh. "They do not have to know he was bitten. The town already thinks you were exaggerating his injuries, so they may back up the story too."

"But, isn't lying to the church bad?" Nina questioned, nibbling on her scone. 

Zeph took in a deep breath. "If, if they find out Alf is a werewolf, they might think he's dangerous and take him away." 

Nina pouted again. "But he's not dangerous! Alfyn wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose!"

Alfyn let out a small wuff of agreement. He didn't want to hurt anybody! But gosh, he sure was hungry, and it was incredibly hard to ignore the smells around the house from the recent meal. They were so strong now. He tried to stand, wobbling as he adjusted to standing on not just his toes- but his fingers as well. He followed his nose towards the earthy smell in the corner where he knew they kept more root vegetables stowed away. 

"Yes, but we don't know that the Knights would decide that." Miss Greengrass shook her head before going to retrieve the broom from a corner. "Nina, Zeph, will the two of you keep this a secret? To keep Alfyn home?"

The two of them exchanged glances, what choice was there if telling the truth could mean losing their friend and brother? They nodded.

"Right, then, let me clean up this mess before somebody cuts their foot." As Miss Greengrass started to sweep there was a thump followed by the sound of many things hitting and rolling on the floor.

Wolf Alfyn was laying down again, in a corner surrounded by raw potatoes, gnawing on one held still between his front paws.

"Alfyn Greengrass! Don't eat the potatoes **raw** you will make yourself sick!" Miss Greengrass called, waving her broom.

Alfyn chewed faster.

  
Come morning Alfyn had, thankfully, returned to human form. A courier had been sent to travel north, to ask for help with a suspected werewolf attacking people in the area. It would take time for it to be delivered, longer still until they found out if help would come or not. They could only hope nobody else was attacked in the meantime.

Alfyn tried to go about his day normally. Studying with Zeph, listening to Meryl going on about the latest young traveler passing through town who caught her eye. Nina and Lily surprised him and Zeph with flower crowns, which they wore proudly the rest of the day. 

Really, keeping the secret shouldn't be too hard. After all, what reason would he have to turn into a wolf of his own accord? If he was forced to transform again, it would be at night when he would already be hidden away at home. He picked up his pole like he normally did late afternoon, making his way towards his favorite fishing spot. He felt like it was the least he could do, catching something for dinner, money was tight and with him, Zeph, and Nina all still growing they needed all the could get.

He glanced over the side of the bridge, pausing mid step. Down below, nosing around in the reeds, was a rather large wild rabbit. It froze as Alfyn's eyes locked on. 

He never wanted to run after a small, fuzzy creature so strongly before.

The rabbit bolted, and the movement activated something in Alfyn's mind. He dropped his fishing gear, vaulting over the side of the bridge. He landed on paws instead of feet- rushing into the mud and brush after the rabbit with only one thought in mind: he had to catch it.

Zeph let out a wistful sigh, tapping his pen on the corner of the paper before him. The page was about halfway filled with writing; things he missed about an old friend and things he never had the courage to say to her. Mercedes had moved away around the time the pestilence first reached their village, heading east across the middle sea to the distant city-state of Atlasdam. Her family out there had often sent her books, which she enthusiastically shared with him. The days spent sprawled out in the grass, side by side, turning the pages and reading together were some of the best he had.

Not that he ever had the courage to send the letters. 

An urgent series of knocks at the door made him jump, an ugly blot of ink dripping to the middle of his letter. "Coming!" Zeph shouted over his shoulder, setting his pen down and pushing away from the table. A seed of worry settled in the back of his mind. He didn't get many visitors, after all, so what could this be about?

He opened the door to be greeted by Gertas, a gruff young man around the same age as Alfyn and himself. He had Alfyn's fishing gear in hand, eyes wide, breathing hard like he had just been running. 

"Okay-" Gertas held up a hand as he tried to catch his breath "okay this is going to sound insane but hear me out-"

"Gertas?" Zeph's eyes darted between his face and the pole in his hand. "That's Alfyn's- did something happen?"

"Did something- oh something _happened_ all right!" Gertas motioned back, towards the stone bridge that connected the two sides of town. "Alfyn just- he just- he jumped off the bridge and next thing I know there's this big **dog** I've never seen before running into the woods! And there's no prints from his boots in the mud only paw prints and I think that dog was Alfyn-"

Zeph's heart sank. It had been less than a day an already the secret was out. "Which way did he go?" Taking a moment to grab his satchel, he then hurried out the door towards the bridge.

Gertas left the fishing gear by the door, following after. "Upstream, should be easy enough to follow the tracks. You're _welcome_ for bringin' back his stuff, by the way, he just left them right in the path for anyone to trip on."

"Have you told anyone else about this, or know if anyone else saw?" Zeph asked.

"Meryl was. Around." Gertas crossed his arms, eyes averting as he kicked at the ground. "Don't know if she saw anythin' or not. Ain't like we ever. Y'know. Talk anymore."

"Right." Zeph started his careful decent down the steep drop towards the riverbank. "Could you go let Miss Greengrass know and that I'm going after him?"

"That was him?!" Gertas called from over the bridge. "Flame take me you mean you really did get attacked yesterday? By a _werewolf?!_ You're not really going in there with _two_ of those monsters out there are you?"

Zeph landed on his feet with a grunt, swearing as his feet threatened to sink into the soft silt of the river bank. Gertas was right, there were canine paw prints leading upstream along the river. "Alfyn isn't a monster." He set off at a fast walk, following the trail into the brush. 

The trail led into the underbrush, away from the soft ground near the river and into the woods. Tracking was, by no means, a specialty of his, and it wasn't long until he lost the trail.

"Alf?" Zeph called. This was an awful idea, that other werewolf was still out here somewhere. But the thought of losing Alfyn to his new wolf instincts to the woods- it hurt. It would break Miss Greengrass' heart. (It would break his too. His parents, Mercedes, how many loved ones would he lose?) "Alfyn? Are you out here?"

"Zeph?" Alfyn's voice through the trees sent a wave of relief over him. He was human again.

With a rustle of branches and brush Alfyn appeared up ahead, clothes disheveled and muddy. There was blood around his mouth, and a dead rabbit in his hand. His eyes were red, face tear-streaked. It was apparent he had been crying, though he was trying hard to hide it.

"I, I, uh," He held up the dead rabbit. "I guess I caught dinner?"

"Oh, Alf." Zeph reached into his satchel, pulling out a rag. He stepped over, passing it to Alfyn. "Looks like you did, biggest rabbit I've ever seen."

Alfyn took the rag, using it to wipe off his mouth. "I. Don't really know what came over me. I saw the rabbit and next thing I knew I-" tears welled up in his eyes and he choked, quickly wiping them away with a clean part of the rag.

"Hey, it's alright, why don't we go home?" Zeph gave him a pat on the back. "Nobody was hurt-"

"Except the rabbit." Alfyn added.

Zeph gave him another pat on the back. "You wanted to get food for the family, and you did. We'll figure out this whole werewolf thing, eventually."

Alfyn smiled at that. "You're too good to me, Zeph." He let out a sigh. "So much for keeping it a secret, hu?"

Zeph let out a sigh of his own. "Yeah."

Almost a full month had passed by the time two warriors of the Knights Ardante reached the small town of Clearbrook. Reports came in on monsters from all over the continent, and it was an unfortunate fact that sometimes by the time they received word and sent people out it was already too late for the smaller towns. 

Clearbrook did not have the appearance of a town ravaged by monster attacks. When they arrived people were going about their business in and near town. Fishing, tending to fields, a group of children laughed as they ran after a large dog. Chickens pecked around out in the open.

The knights started asking around, starting at the local tavern.

"Werewolf?" The barkeep shook his head. "I've only heard hearsay about it. Couple of boys say they ran int' some manner of beast about a month ago, but ain't anyone seen it since."

"Not the 'big scarred wolf' no," comment the cook from his spot at the stove, "Old Alec said they found a half eaten deer a couple days after, was boot prints leadin' away but none leadin' to it. Course, ain't like we don't get travelers or normal wolves or the like."

One of the knights nodded, a thoughtful look on her face. "Where can we find the boys who saw the monster? And- this is important- has anyone been injured by it?"

The barkeeper shrugged. "They were shaken, but neither seemed any worse for wear. Master Zeph will be at his home about this hour, the old apothecary shop across the bridge. As for Alfyn," he shook his head. "No tellin' with him, boy gets up to all sorts of mischief."

The other local patrons and, once they left, the townspeople all told similar stories. About a month ago, two of the younger villagers had emerged from the woods describing an encounter with what, the allegedly claimed, was a large wolf covered in scars. The monster was never found, and there had been no other attacks since. 

They crossed the bridge, the dog and two young girls rushing past them at a run. The dog beat them to the old apothecary shop, scratching at the door before trotting inside when the door opened. The resident stood, talking to the young girls, accepting a bundle of flowers from one of them with a smile.

The girls shied away as the knights approached. "Sir- are you Zeph? We have some questions for you."

"Oh!" The young man's eyes went wide and he nodded. "Right, yes, of course."

From Zeph they got a more detailed description of the beast they were searching for, as well as an account of how the two teens were able to fight it off. Again, nobody had seen the wolf since the first sighting. 

By sheer luck, the other young man who had been present- Alfyn- was already at Zeph's home. The two studied together, apparently, in preparation to become apothecaries. 

"Thank you for your time, gentlemen." The knights bid them farewell, heading back out towards the bridge.

Zeph let out a relieved breath, giving Alfyn a light shove. "Cutting it a bit close there, aren't you? We're lucky they didn't want to come inside!"

Alfyn chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck. "We coulda said...the dog climbed out the window?"

"Who lets their dog just leave through the window?!" Zeph countered, backing back inside. "By the flame, yours is the worst kept secret in all of Clearbrook. I can't believe they weren't more suspicious."

"Guess we got lucky, then!" Alfyn plopped himself down in a chair, pulling over one of the open books on the table. "Now, come on! We've got work to do!"


End file.
